“I’m writing … words,” says a boyish looking man adorned in black, to a small audience at the Boston Center for the Arts. Words are the focus of “Figurations,” a new work by Boston University professor and playwright Ted Richer, showing through March 24. This mysterious and powerful collection of short plays is sure to leave one pondering the very things that compose them — the words.
“Figuration”’s onstage premier subtly injects itself into the Boston theater scene after nearly ten years in the making. Previously, voice recordings of the sequence were broadcast on the BBC at the recommendation of Christopher Ricks, another Boston University professor and renowned literary scholar and critic.
The 18 separate pieces are told from the viewpoints of a narrator for the main male character, which is alternated between three men. Two female cast members complete the roles of the main character’s love interests, disinterests, and other close encounters of the female kind. The cast solidifies to create scenes of love, bitterness, and nostalgia following the life of a man who was never able to utter the words “I love you.”
A plain, leveled stage and dim lighting create an eerie yet captivating mood, the perfect canvas for depicting Richer’s collection of deeply felt emotions that shine through simplistic word usage. In fact, the most striking characteristic of “Figurations” is the author’s careful selection of the language he chooses to employ. The selection of words is far more important than the actual quantity of them being used, which is seen by the characters on stage easily bringing to life the poetry of the work in all of its chilling grace. Also, altering a single utterance takes place, which leads to drastically changing the meaning of Richer’s original statements. This made the show initially confusing, yet as the performance progressed, one could not help but realize the play’s original vagueness comprised one of its strongest aspects.
Designed for very specific theatergoers, “Figurations” is an example of the wonderful smaller theatrical experimentation that exists around Boston. This theatrical experience keeps one completely focused on thinking, making it more than just entertainment — it forces cognitive overload. The only thing you’ll want to do is find the author and pick his brain for the next three hours, trying to decipher the whirlwind of intricate and private details that form the fabric of the show’s scattered story. Should you need to give your brain a healthy workout, “Figurations” may be for you. Just be observant of the words you hear – words that can and will take on a whole new meaning by the time you depart from the theater.
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